Sardarpura case: Convicts get 10-day temporary bail

The two convicts have been identified as Suresh Patel and Dahyabhai Patel.

Thirty three Muslims were burnt alive in Sardarpura village of Mehsana during the communal violence in 2002. (AP)

The Gujarat High Court has granted 10-day temporary bail to each of the two convicts of the 2002 Sardarpura massacre case of Mehsana district. A division bench of the HC, comprising Justices Jayant Patel and Z K Saiyed, passed an order in this regard on Wednesday. The two convicts have been identified as Suresh Patel and Dahyabhai Patel.

Additional Public Prosecutor K L Pandya said that Suresh had sought bail to appear in a masters’ examination, whereas Dahyabhai had sought the bail to perform social rituals following the death of his father.

In November 2011, a special trial court for the case had convicted 31 persons and condemned them to life imprisonment. Recently, all the convicts had moved regular bail petitions before HC. However, they subsequently withdrew the same. Thirty three Muslims were burnt alive in Sardarpura village of Mehsana during the communal violence in 2002.